Can-opener.



A. JOHNSON.

CAN OPENER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1, 1912.

M'EQJEMOVWJ My N 2425- W24 Wlh ESE-35 h n m m1. :ronnson, o'nouxnhtfn, om'ronnm.

can-09mm summation 6:16am Patent.

Patented Nov. "10, 1914.

LppHcatihn-fllod-Iune '1, 191:2. Serial 1%. 700,955.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Axnr. Jomzson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the ,county of Alameda. and State of have invented certain California, new and useful Improvements in Can- I ()peners, of which the followingis-aspect fi'cation.

Heretofore it has been the practice of inclosing tamales in a wrapper of layers of corn husks, that the same could be easily steamed, the corn husk readil removed at the time of serving, and t e tamal'e served in a whole unbroken condition.

opener having a The practice of 'inclosing tamales a husk wrapper has provenvery unsanitary and a rather difficult operation of removing the layers of husk and still not breakin'gthe p ota'll y mountlng the operating lever.

3 in a.- detail' -of the cutter head disclosing the lmi'fe carried thereby. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a: can disclosing the close even cut madeby the cutter head.

tamale upon serving, so it is a later-and more sanitary practice of canning ta-- males but to the present time there has not been devised a can opener which would quickly open "the ca that the tamale there'incould be taken'therefrom in a whole {numeral- 1' designates thobase-ofa suitable gcasting formed with the supporting base flanges 2 and provided at its rear with an ;integral upstandin' arm 3, the upper end 4 ;of which '16 prov-i ed with a vertically ex-- f tendingfbore 5- and overhangs the base 1, as

unbroken condition. a I V The hereinafter described invention re lates to an improved'can opeiierforopenmg cans containing solids or semi so'lid's, such as tamales, and hasfo'r its principal object to provide an opener adapted tooompletely sever the head from a can at one'operation, to cut the head therefrom close to the se-. curing bead thereof leaving comparatively little metal remaining on the body of the can, to provide an opener of the above character adapted to receive cans of various heights and diameters, and toprovide an seatand guide or the can,

so constructed and positionedthat when the canto be cut is properly placed thereontha end to be severed will be in proper cutting relation to the cutter.

The invention consists in a supporting base, an arm extending upwardly therefrom and overhanging the same, a can seat supported by said base, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said arm above said base, a cutting knife secured to the underside of said plunger, a guide at the rear of said can seat for properly positioning the heads of the cans to be opened relative to said cutting knife, and means for operating said plunger to force the knife carried thereby into the can head and sever the same from its body.

With the above mentioned and other objects in View, the invention consistsin the novel construction and com'binationof parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended;

Referring to the drawings disclosing a complete constructed devicefor' fully carrym g'out my invention Figure 1 is a broken side'elevation of my improved device-in the operation of severing a head from a can, showing" in dotted lines *the edges of the cuttmg kniie carried by the plunger seated in thecan after severing the top therefrom.

orting members and the manner of iv- "Referring to the drawings, the reference ill-"Fig; 1-. Avertioal bore'li is formed in the i F i i 2 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 1' v with the can removed, disclosing the shape 0t thefiguideat the rear of the can seat, the

mannernt detachably securing the can seat and the cutting head to their respective sepgbase diredtly below the bore 5 and in which fie-adapted to be positioned a standard 7, in gthe upper end of which is formed ascrew Qthreaded bore 8, in which is positioned the screw threaded stud -9 projecting from the underside of a eirmilar can seat l0. The

1 standard 7 is provided with transverselyex tending openings '11, adapted to receive a securing pin 12, adapted to extend through alined openings 13 into the bore 6 Exttending upwardly from the rear edges of the can seat 10 is a flange 1% in the form of a semi-circle in plan and the same is provided with an overhangin bead 15 which provides a groove 16 imme 'ately above the seat in WhlCll is adapted to be'positioned the projecting end bead or seam of a can.

Mounted to reciprocate in the vertically extending bore 5 is a plunger 17, provided at its lower end with a screw-threaded bore 18 in which is dctachably secured a screwthreaded stud 19, projecting from the upper side of a circular cutter head 20 which is in turn provided with a downwardly projecting annular flange 21. The recess form in the cutter head 20 by the flange 21 provides a seat for a plate 22, detachably secured in place by screws 23 and provided with an annular flange 24 adapted to rest against the inner peri hery of the flange 21 and project below t e same. The lower edge of the flange 24: is formed with a series of points or serrations 2-5 upwardly and inwardly beveled as at 26, the whole forming a cutting edge or knife. An operating. lever 27 is pivoted as at 28 between suitable ears 29 extending upwardly from the overhanging portion 4 of the casting and is also pivotally mounted as at 30 between ears 31 formed at the upper end of the plunger 17 and it will be observed that the lever provides a means for reciprocating the cutter head 20 carrying the knife.

In the operation of my device, a can is seated on the can seat 10 with the bead thereof in the groove 16 which provides a guide for the same, the lever 27 is now moved downwardly forcing the pointed ends of the knife into the top of the can, as in Fig. 1, completely severing the top therefrom, leaving a smooth edge remaining at the severed end of the can. 7

In cans containing semi-solids, the above operation is performed and the can is turned with the other end up and it is completely severed from the body as was the first, al-

lowing the operator to press the contents from the can as a .whole. and in an unbroken state by pressure of his thumbs against the last severed end of the can.

By constructing the standard 7 so that it may be adjusted, cans of various heights may be opened by the device and by constructing the standard 7 and the plunger 17 respectively with a removable can seat and cutter head, other can seats and cutter heads of various sizes may be used, adapting the device for opening cans of different diameters. I

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new-and desire to protect by Letters Patent is- 1. A can opener, the same comprising a supporting base, an integral arm extending upwardly therefrom and overhan ing the same, a can seatsupported by said ase and on which a can to be opened is positioned, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said arm .oversaid seat and cooperate therewith, a circular cutting knife detachably' secured to the underside of said plun er, an overhanging guide at the rear end 0 said can seat for same, a can seat standard adjusta 1y supportedby said base, a circular can seat de- ,tachably carried by said standard and on which the can to be opened is positioned, a

plunger mounted to reciprocate in said arm over said seat and cooperate therewith, a plunger head detachably secured to the lower end of said plunger, a circular cutting knife secured to the under side of said plunfor properly positioning the can to be opened relative to said cutting knife and for receiving the can bead and preventin the 'ger head, an upwardly extending overhanging guide flange at the rear of said can seat upward movement of the can when the ife is withdrawn therefrom after severing the head thereof, and an operating handle fulcrumed to the upper section of said arm and to said plunger for operating said plunger to force the knife carried thereby into the canhead to sever the same from its body.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AXEL J OHNSON,

Witnesses r i N. A. AoKER, D. B. Browns. 

